Merle Dahlheimer sold the family dairy farm to purchase the St. Michael Gluek Beer Distributor in 1959. The new business came with 60,000 cases of Gluek beer, three trucks, and one cooler. Merle drove to the brewery and delivered beer on his way home. His house and garage in St. Michael, Minnesota, became a beer warehouse. He soon discovered he had a passion for providing beer distribution to the bars, taverns, and liquor stores of a growing Minnesota region. Little did he know then that the work ethic and wheels set in motion then would be the beginnings of one of the most successful beverage distribution operations in the state. 

As Minnesota’s hometown breweries consolidated through the 1960s and ’70s, Merle and his wife LaVerne kept the trucks rolling by adding new brands alongside Gluek. The business outgrew the St. Michael garage and moved to Albertville, where the next generation of Dahlheimers learned the trade from the loading dock up. A partnership with Coors brought one of the country’s best-known beers to the region’s bars and liquor stores, and imports, craft beers, and non-alcoholic beverages soon followed. By the end of the century, a single-brewery route had become a true multi-brand portfolio serving customers across Wright County and beyond.

In 2006 Dahlheimer Beverage opened its headquarters and warehouse at 3360 Chelsea Road West in Monticello, with modern cold storage, room for a larger fleet, and space to keep growing. Branches followed across the state. Brainerd serves the Lakes Area and Northern Minnesota, Green Isle covers Southern Minnesota, and Virginia serves the Iron Range and Northeast Minnesota. Together, those four facilities now reach more than 47,000 square miles, from the Iowa border to the Canadian border.

Our suppliers have noticed the work. Molson Coors has honored Dahlheimer with its President’s Award at Monticello nine times between 2005 and 2021, and at Brainerd six times, most recently in 2024, 2025, and 2026. The Molson Coors Excellence Award followed, and in 2026 all four locations earned the Bill Coors Quality Award. Boston Beer named Monticello, Brainerd, and Green Isle King of the Mountain in 2023, Mike’s Hard Lemonade has presented its Lemmie Award, and the Monticello Chamber of Commerce named Dahlheimer its Business of the Year in 2007 and 2023.

Dahlheimer Beverage now represents more than 136 supplier partners and over 2,000 brands, from national favorites and imports to Minnesota craft breweries, spirits, hard seltzers, non-alcoholic drinks, and snacks. Dedicated brand and category managers work side by side with each supplier, while our on-premise, chain, and field sales teams make sure every product is placed, promoted, and rotated the right way in more than 4,600 bars, restaurants, liquor stores, and retailers.

Merle Dahlheimer passed away in 2020 at age 94, more than 60 years after starting the business with three trucks and a cooler. Today his family carries it forward, led by Luke Dahlheimer as President and Nick Dahlheimer as Chief Operations Officer, with a team of brand managers, branch managers, and sales professionals across four Minnesota facilities. We are still family owned and operated, still giving back to the communities we serve, and still driven by the same work ethic that started in a St. Michael garage in 1959.